Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing that recreates a digital image by depositing droplets of ink onto a substrate, such as paper or plastic. Many contemporary inkjet printers utilize drop-on-demand (DOD) technology to force droplets of ink from a reservoir through a nozzle onto the substrate. Accordingly, the mounting and positioning of the reservoir and nozzle (among other components) is critical to accurately depositing drops of ink in the desired position. Together, these components form a print head (also referred to as a “print head assembly”).
Inkjet printers must position individual droplets of ink with high accuracy and precision in order to output images of acceptable quality. However, sufficient accuracy and precision are often difficult to achieve using conventional manufacturing techniques, which often result in inconsistent placement of printer components and poor print quality.
There are many possible sources of error that can contribute to inaccurate and/or imprecise droplet positioning. For example, one key contributor is the physical position of each print head with respect to all six degrees of freedom when mounted inside an inkjet printer housing or printing mechanism. The physical position is typically controlled by tight-tolerance machined components, an adjustment mechanism, or both. Moreover, even small errors can result in poor printing quality, particularly if multiple sources of error combine to negatively affect positioning of the droplets on the substrate.